I really don't know how else to describe Bush's reaction to the North Korea situation. From day one, Bush has been content to let China drive the negotiations, which hasn't really benefitted anyone other than the Chinese. While the relationship between Japan and South Korea
quickly devolves because of a territorial dispute, creating all kind of complications internationally, Bush is
content to make these observations:
It's hard for me to tell you what's on his [Kim Jong Il's] mind. He lives in a very closed society
In other words, if I can't read his mind, look into his soul, let's say, then I have no fucking clue what the hell is going on. So we're out of luck.
What we don't know is his intentions[sic]
Um, that's true, if we ignore the past six years of negotiations, or the fact that there is this country called North Korea that wants to have nuclear weapons and scare off the west from using intimidation tactics.
And it's just really important for, for the American president to see the world the way it is, not the way we would hope it would be
Couldn't agree more, Mr. President. More below the fold.
While it's true that Bush has his savvy moments, mostly the manipulation of the American public, he has absolutely dropped the ball when it comes to East Asia.
Let us ponder the irony for a moment. In Kim Jong Il, we have the one leader who actually fits in Bush's worldview. Bush tends to judge a nation based on the personality of its leader, something that any diplomat would caution against as folly. But with Kim, that's absolutely true, because he, more so than most any dictator, influences absolutely every decision made in the DPRK.
I won't go on and on about how Bush's poor decision making has allowed the Chinese to build prestige, or how Bush's lack of attention to the East Asian sphere puts both the American economy and military into jeopardy.
But I will say this: with the increased tensions between South Korea and Japan, and with China and Russia increasingly nervous about American encirclement, this story does not stop with Kim, and saying that "we don't know what he's thinking" doesn't really help anyone.
Would someone, PLEASE, get on the goddamn job over there.